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I recorded The Battle of Britain from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) the other day thinking it was part of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" documentary series from 1943 (which is what the satellite guide said). Once I started watching it, it turned out to be the '69 film. Good show though, lots of aerial combat with real vintage planes.

The Eagle Has Landed is an enjoyable film. Donald Sutherland steals the show as an Irish expatriate with no love for the British who aids the Germans in their plot of kidnap Churchill. I can watch The Dirty Dozen again and again. A Bridge Too Far is fine once in a blue moon.

I'm not a big fan of Clint Eastwood's Kelly's Heroes. I just watched Where Eagles Dare, which is a much better film with Eastwood, although it's really a vehicle for Richard Burton. I know I've seen Where Eagles Dare before, but have forgotten it over the years. It was like watching it again for the first time.

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When it comes to WWII movies, I typically enjoy stories about the main combatants or "our" troops but I sometimes like to see things from another perspective, so I watched this French film yesterday afternoon. I think it was on Independent Film Channel (IFC) -

Africans from French colonies and elsewhere are recruited by the Free French government-in-exile under Charles de Gaulle to help liberate the mother country from German occupation but face constant discrimination from their French comrades and endure unfair treatment from their superiors and government (even decades later) in the watchable 2006 French war movie Days of Glory.

In the late 1950s, due to so many former French colonies being in open rebellion fighting for independence, the French government cut the pensions of WWII veterans from those former colonies. They were reinstated in the early 2000s, but payments were put off again. Since that generation is becoming fewer in number anyway, it's doubtful there will be any veterans left to claim their pension anyway.

From yesterday evening:

After a plane crash that claims the life of his wife, a 1920s pilot (Cliff Robertson - Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben in Spiderman) and his young son rebuild his biplane and take to the air, flying to small towns giving airplane rides, enjoying their celebrity status, and having occasional trysts with local women in the avoidable 1973 action adventure film Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies. Seventies mainstay Bernadette Peters plays a small town prostitute in this film, which is based on a story by obscure director Steven Spielberg.

And the late show last night:

After a centuries-old group known as the Illuminati kidnaps four cardinals and threatens to destroy the Vatican using stolen anti-matter, university professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is called in to help track down those responsible and prevent the calamity in Ron Howard’s okay 2009 adventure thriller Angels and Demons. Ewan Macgregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels) plays a Vatican priest and Stellan Skarsgard (Bootstrap Bill in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) is head of the elite Swiss Guard.

on friday, the fiance' and I watched the TV Mini series of "The Shining." Being an avid fan of Stephen King and having read the book many times, I have to say I easily prefer this version over Kubrick's hack and slash job of 1980. Yes, nicholson is great, but Kubrick's version take away from many of the central themes and elements that make the novel and mini series so great. Steven Weber does an awesome job as Jack Torrance a he progressively descends into madness whereas with Nicholson you can see he's crazy from the very first frame. Amazing score too, very haunting.

Also, last night we got some pizza, beer, and started an "Awful Movie Marathon" with "How to Deal," "Glitter," and right now we're watching "Showgirls." It's great watching crappy flicks and riffing them. Awesome times! hehe

"Woke up at 9.55am. Soon as I woke up, I looked at Suzanne and she looked at me. I said, 'Did I tell you about the immune system?' Suzanne starting laughing, I said, 'it's amazing.' She said, 'Not now.'"

I absolutely agree about The Shining...as one of the few King books I have read...I hated Kubrick's version. Jack "Here's Johnny" Nicholson started off the movie 1/2 crazy so there was nowhere for him to go with the character. King hated that version, too & hence the TV movie which we own on DVD, but I find most people have never seen I talk to. There are layers to Jack's growing dementia the Overlook preys on, primarily from the child abuse of Danny...which the 1980 version skirted completely. One of my favorite parts of the book was the hedgerow animals, and certainly no way that could have been shot in the late seventies. My wife had a "chick flick" marathon today, so we watched To Catch A Thief(Hitchcock), Couples Retreat & The Time Traveler's Wife(actually pretty good as love stories go, and Rachel McAdams is not unpleasant to the eye at all).

That's the thing about King's work, regular films seldom do his books justice, it really takes a good solid mini series to bring it all together. It's very difficult to cram all of that into a 2 hour film.

I think Kubrick did his best with what he had to work with. I believe I heard a rumor that King was essentially banned from giving his negative views of the Kubrick version.

I absolutely agree about The Shining...as one of the few King books I have read...I hated Kubrick's version. Jack "Here's Johnny" Nicholson started off the movie 1/2 crazy so there was nowhere for him to go with the character. King hated that version, too & hence the TV movie which we own on DVD, but I find most people have never seen I talk to. There are layers to Jack's growing dementia the Overlook preys on, primarily from the child abuse of Danny...which the 1980 version skirted completely. One of my favorite parts of the book was the hedgerow animals, and certainly no way that could have been shot in the late seventies.

Exactly. Torrance has that slow descent into insanity that the hotel plots out wonderfully. Plus, the novel and mini series concentrate on the fact that the hotel wants danny so they can use his powers whereas Kubricks version is all about Jack Nicholson. There's a lot in the novel and mini series, especially when it comes to the destruction of the family unit and Kubrick's version just ignores that. And the scene with the woman in 217 in Kubrick's version (well, 237), is just ridiculous.

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

The Green Mile, Stand by Me, and The Shawshank Redemption are notable exceptions to that rule.

I agree on all 3. I want to add "The Mist" to that list as well; the ending in the film was actually better, even King stated he thought so. I never read "1408" but I know the film is awesome.

and you fellow King/shining fans will appreciate this redux trailer of Kubrick's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVjl7gK4HGU hehe Plus, you gotta love the music score they used for the trailer (5 points to the participant who can place it!).

"Woke up at 9.55am. Soon as I woke up, I looked at Suzanne and she looked at me. I said, 'Did I tell you about the immune system?' Suzanne starting laughing, I said, 'it's amazing.' She said, 'Not now.'"

Interesting that I know someone here posted a video using that song as well, and YouTube took it down for copyright infringement. Does someone have to report infringement? Not that I'm going to do so; just curious how YouTube decides which videos using a particular piece of music to take down.

And I've not seen 1408, but have been meaning to. Haven't seen The Mist, either. I'd say Cat's Eye, but, well, it was never a book. Secret Window wasn't great; in fact, it was pretty mediocre, but both Depp and Turturo did fine work in that flick.

Interesting that I know someone here posted a video using that song as well, and YouTube took it down for copyright infringement. Does someone have to report infringement? Not that I'm going to do so; just curious how YouTube decides which videos using a particular piece of music to take down.

And I've not seen 1408, but have been meaning to. Haven't seen The Mist, either. I'd say Cat's Eye, but, well, it was never a book. Secret Window wasn't great; in fact, it was pretty mediocre, but both Depp and Turturo did fine work in that flick.

I was referring to the few seconds of Thomas Newman's score from "The Shawshank Redemption" but you're correct too. Also, i'm pretty sure that somebody has to report a video for it to get taken down.

Originally Posted by Slicker

Isn't 1408 the movie with either Luke Wilson or John Cusack (I can't remember right now)? If so I thought that movie was horrendous.

I watched Terminator: Salvation last night and I also watched both Family Guy Star Wars episodes. Salvation was quite good and really made up for how sucky T3 was. I loved the Family Guy episodes.

It's the flick with John Cusack.

"Woke up at 9.55am. Soon as I woke up, I looked at Suzanne and she looked at me. I said, 'Did I tell you about the immune system?' Suzanne starting laughing, I said, 'it's amazing.' She said, 'Not now.'"